American-US Airways merger gives OIA new No. 2

The merger of American Airlines and US Airways announced Thursday will alter the pecking order at Orlando International Airport but may not have a huge effect on those flying into and out of Central Florida.

The long-expected consolidation, an $11 billion deal that creates the world's largest airline, merges the fifth- and sixth-busiest carriers at Orlando International. Based on the two airlines' local market share in 2012, the merged operation, to be called American and based in Fort Worth, Texas, will control about 15 percent of the passenger traffic at OIA. It would be surpassed by only Dallas-based Southwest Airlines, which carried nearly 21 percent of OIA's travelers last year.

While the merger could put upward pressure on airfares nationwide, it may have little effect on travelers using Orlando International because the two airlines were not really competing head-to-head in this market, said Bijan Vasigh, a professor at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach.

"Since American and US Airways … were not really competing face-to-face, we should not see any increase, or significant increase, in ticket prices," Vasigh said.

Airport spokeswoman Carolyn Fennell said the two airlines currently have no overlapping service from Orlando. American serves Dallas-Fort Worth, Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York from here, she said, while US Airways' markets from Orlando include its hub in Charlotte, N.C., as well as Philadelphia; Phoenix, Ariz.; and Washington, D.C.

Fennell said the merger's effect locally won't be known until the airlines lay out their plans for a combined operation. "We don't know what their long-term vision is," Fennel said. "At this point, they don't have routes that are duplicates."

From a staffing standpoint, any changes in Orlando aren't likely to be drastic, said Mike Miller, vice president of strategy for the American Aviation Institute. Both American and US Airways already run lean operations in Orlando, he noted.

"Both airlines have already gone through bankruptcy and have already restructured locally," Miller said. Eventually, he said, the combined operation won't require as many people, especially on management levels.

"The on-site airport management will probably be less two years from now, but we're not talking major cuts," he said.

One benefit for existing customers: American Airlines' frequent-flier program — regarded as among the best in the industry — will stay in place, Miller added.

"For consumers, your frequent-flier program just got more valuable, because you have more choice and more opportunities," he said.